Earlier this month it was announced that a large international research team discovered the earliest known modern human fossil outside of Africa and they interpret the find to mean that modern humans left Africa at least 50k years earlier than previously thought which, frankly, may or may not be so.

The fossil is part of a left hemi-maxilla with teeth (upper jaw bone, simply). Researchers say that the find also indicates that modern humans may have been interacting over a longer period of time with other archaic humans such as Neanderthals et al. The jawbone was discovered at a site known as Misliya Cave in Israel which is one of several sites on Mt Carmel. Dating suggests the jawbone is 175-200 kya. It has been thought that modern humans first migrated out of Africa and into the Levant around 50 kya but this jawbone proves otherwise.

The jawbone itself has many features of Homo sapiens sapiens (modern humans) BUT it also has features of Neanderthals and “other human groups.” And what might those “other human groups” be I ask? Homo erectus most likely and combinations (hybrids) of all of the above!! Continue Reading

Archaeologists in Israel have discovered hundreds of hand-axes likely used by Homo erectus and dating to about 500 kya at Jaljulia northeast of Tel Aviv. The artifacts are made of knapped flint and were unearthed during a dig next to Highway Route 6 which is one of Israel’s busiest routes. They were found about 5 meters (about 16.5 feet) in the ground.

Homo erectus

It appears that H. erectus was returning to the site frequently most likely due to a nearby water source. It appears they left behind these hand axes when they moved on. The site would have been a sort of “prehistoric paradise” for hunter-gatherers as it had a stream, lush vegetation, and many game animals.

The lithic (stone) industry in this area was highly developed, apparently, and produced a great number of stone tools including the flint hand axes. They are characteristic of Acheulean stone tools which late H. erectus developed after initially using primitive Oldowan stone tools they inherited from H. habilis (“Tool Man”). The Acheulean Culture existed in the Lower Paleolithic Era from around 1.5 million to 200 kya.

The development of Acheulean stone tools by H. erectus was revolutionary as they were not crude and were purposefully designed. They’ve been found from southern Africa to northern Europe to the Indian sub-continent and elsewhere. Homo erectus is an ancient human ancestor of modern humans, Homo sapiens sapiens. The Acheulean stone tool industry was the longest lasting such industry (over 1 million years in use). The oldest Acheulean stone tools have been dated at the following:

Many researchers believe H. erectus had a “geographic memory” much like that of modern humans because they kept occupying the site frequently over and over. This indicates that they kept returning as a part of some sort of seasonal cycle.

The site is well preserved and researchers are hoping to find more artifacts at the site in the near future. It enables us to trace the behavior of H. erectus who is our direct ancestor and helps us in reconstructing their lifestyles and routine behavior which, in turn, provides us with a better understanding of our ancient human ancestors.

In a recent post to his webpage Linguist Robert Lindsay makes two important observations (among others). In the final paragraph he notes how the Mozabite people in Algeria are Caucasoid but they are “some of the weirdest-looking Caucasoids I have ever seen. They don’t really look like any other race of humans..” He notes some look like people from India. He also notes that in papers about the genesis of the Caucasian race North Africa, the Middle East, and India are mentioned (frequently) as hubs for the development of this race 30-40 kya. He further notes that the Mozabite people are mentioned over and over when remains of ancient genetic groups are discussed along with the Uighur “for some odd reason.” I think this is because some researchers consider the Mozabites and Uighur to be some of the most ancient people on the planet.

This is subject matter for a future post I think but for now I want to focus on something else Lindsay said in this post. He notes, “There are also links between Orcadians (Scottish Islanders) and Siberians.” This is true and has been acknowledged by some researchers. Then Lindsay goes on to say this:

“Skulls from Europe from 21,000 YBP (years before present) look more like Amerindians than anything else. The closest match-up between those ancient European skulls is the Makah Amerindian tribe from Europe.”

Now the Makah are actually a Native American tribe currently dwelling in Washington State in the Pacific Northwest of the US. They are a federally recognized tribe. These people have hunted whales and seals for generations. So I’m not sure what Lindsay means by saying the Makah “tribe from Europe” because most anthropologist believe these people came via the Beringia Landbridge into North America and never were in Europe. However, skulls of SOME Europe from around 21 kya DO in fact resemble Amerindian skulls!

In 2007 there was a find and DNA analysis that undercut recent theories about Paleoamericans (the first people in the New World) having originally come from SE Asia or even Europe. That find was the “Cave Maiden.” These remains were of a teenage girl found in a Mexican cave who lived about 12 kya. The cave is the Outland Cave in the Yucatan. Her bones are believed to be one of the oldest and most complete skeletons ever found in the Americas. DNA analysis showed her ancestry was from a now vanished land between Siberia and Alaska. Continue Reading

Patagonia is a region at the southern end of Argentina and Chile in South America. It contains the southern end of the Andes and the desert steppes and grasslands east of this mountain range. It is bounded by both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Lake Pehoe, Patagonia

The name “Patagonia” has a rather interesting meaning. This region was named by the famous navigator and explorer Magellan in 1520. “Patagonia” is derived from the word “patagon.” Magellan used this name to describe the people that he and his men thought were “giants”! Most historians believe that the people he was referring to were the Tehuelches who just happened to be a a bit taller than your average European at the time. The name of these people, Tehuelches, actually means “the fierce people” in their native tongue.

When the Spanish explorers first set foot in this area they came across some rather large footprints on the beaches and they thought them to have been made by giants. But, actually, the footprints were made by the Tehuelches leather boots (called “guanaco”) which they wore on their feet. But the rumors persisted and this land of Patagonia gained the reputation of being a “land of giants.”

Tehuelche Chieftains in Patagonia, Argentina

The Tehuelches have lived in the Patagonia area for over 14,500 years. This claim has been verified by archaeological discoveries and research. These people have a nomadic lifestyle so archaeological evidence has been rather scant. They are also hunter-gatherers and they are rather well known for their cave paintings. One thing I find interesting about these people is that they are similar in appearance to the Hopi of northeastern Arizona and other Pueblo people of the American Southwest although taller.

It seems that throughout Patagonia’s history there have been stories or legends of hairy giants and ogres (man-eating giants). Some people have speculated that Patagonia might have been the home of some surviving Homo erectus hominids. This is used by some to explain the many sightings of an alleged Patagonian Bigfoot which has been reported since the time of the Spanish Conquistadors in the region. This explanation is rather interesting because mainstream anthropology says H. erectus was never in the Americas. But, as researcher Austin Whittall of Argentina says there is some controversial evidence that has been found in the area that is ignored by mainstream archaeology yet this evidence suggests humans were in the Americas long before we suspect. In fact, roughly 1/4 of a million years ago! Continue Reading

I received an email recently from someone wanting to know about giants. She wanted to know if I believed if “all of the giant stories” are real or not. She then asked me to elaborate so I’m posting my response to her here.

Dear Sarah thank you for your recent email regarding “giants.” In your email you mention the “mighty men of old,” the “Anakim,” and the “Philistines.” These references are from the Old Testament of the Bible. The “mighty men of old” are alleged to be the offspring of fallen angels and human women. Nimrod was one of these “mighty men of old” and I don’t find anything indicating that he was a giant nor any taller than other men of his time. Nimrod was the King of Shinar (Mesopotamia) and a grandson of Noah. The biblical text says that he was a “mighty hunter” as well. He is also named as the builder of the famed Tower of Babel. Researchers have tried to connect Nimrod with a historical king found in the archaeological and historical records and there are varying opinions as to just who he was. Some scholars think he was Sargon the Great while others think Nimrod is purely a mythical figure. Others believe he may have been the historical Naram-Sin who was the grandson of King Sargon of Akkad as postulated by researchers Yigal Levin in 2002. Myth or historical figure? That is the first question I must ask when it comes to Nimrod. Whether he was or was not I find nothing to indicate he was a giant as I said but he could have well been one of the “mighty men of old” because legend has it that he was an angel-human hybrid.

Regarding the Anakim the biblical text describes them as having been a race of giants descended from Anak. They are said to have lived in the southern part of Canaan (the southern Levant) near Hebron. Their Hebrew name “Anaqim” means “strength, stature.” The Israelites identified them with the Nephilim giants and when Joshua drove them from the land some found refuge in Philistine cities such as Gaza. This, biblical scholars believe, led to interbreeding between the Anakim and Philistines that produced the alleged Philistine giants one of which was the famous Goliath whom David supposedly slayed with a slingshot of the battlefield. The Anakim are described as “strong and tall” and of mixed race of giant people. Question is how tall were they?

What must be kept in mind is that ancient people were not normally as tall as we are today so a person standing 4 or 5 feet tall would certainly think a person standing 6 ft 4 in. tall would be a “giant.” I don’t find anything historically or archaeologically to indicate the Anakim or the Philistines were “giants” other than they seem to have been people who were taller than the average person of the time. To bring this down to a personal level, I stand 6 feet tall and when I’ve encountered people standing 7 feet tall or taller I consider them “giants” and I describe them to others as “giants.” So the term “giant” is relative in my opinion. Continue Reading

1.9 mya (million years ago) up until around 70 kya (thousand years ago) and possibly 30 kya (take your pick) an ancient human ancestor known as “upright man” or “erect man” (again take your pick) aka Homo erectus roamed to and fro in the “Old World” but never entered into the “New World.”

For almost 2 million years this hominid species of early man/woman came up out of Africa and crossed into the Levant driven by some unknown purpose and drive to explore. This species then migrated into Asia, Europe, the Far East, and even down into Java in Indonesia and possibly even the “land from down under.” Along the way this species left behind “colonizers” who dwelt in all the areas H. erectus explored. He even made it into northern China near Beijing (Old Peking) but NEVER once did any member(s) of this species even consider crossing the landbridge linking Alaska to Siberia! And NEVER once did this early human observe an insect, lizard, or bird floating on a twig or branch down a watery river or spring! No sir! NOT EVEN ONCE over the course of almost 2 MILLION YEARS!! Can I get an AMEN here?

Driven by a need to explore into all parts of the Old World one fine day this drive in H. erectus was quenched for some “odd and unknown” reason and he never crossed into the New World via landbridge nor boat nor log! One can only wonder why this early man stopped there after having an apparent obsession for exploring and colonizing. Yea, tis but another “mystery” of our ancient ones NOT to be questioned nor challenged!

Erectus the great migrator, the great hunter-gatherer driven to explore unknown realms following herds of animals he depended on for food, shelter, and perhaps even some clothing but NEVER once did he follow those required herds onto the landbridge nor across the waters into the New World. NEVER! Amen?

And the New World? Why it was pristine and untouched by the hand of early man’s Erectus ancestors! An Eden or Paradise untainted by anything human! Ah yes! Then for yet another unknown reason (mystery) along came those we call Paleo-Indians who ventured across that old landbridge linking Eurasia to North America. I said NORTH America not South America gots it?

Following animal herds they depended on for meat and clothing just like Erectus they must have had a brainstorm in some of musty cave somewhere and decided to just go ahead and cross that landbridge as their prey did frequently. And thus began the human colonization and taming of the Americas for God’s sake! Amen?

For almost 2 MILLION years Homo erectus roamed from Africa to East Asia and beyond (but NOT into the Americas) and NEVER once considered crossing that landbridge that the Paleo-Indians did anywhere from 45-12 kya! NEVER ONCE! And thus was the holy sojourn of HOMO ERECTUS….upright man….erect man! A saga like no other!! Continue Reading

In December of last year (2015) and article appeared in the online publication “The Scientist” by Paleoanthropologist David Begun of the University of Toronto. The article appeared following publication of his book entitled “The Real Planet of the Apes: A new story of human origins.” The article was entitled “Out of Europe?” (see link below).

Begun’s basic premise is that early human ancestors had their beginnings in Europe not Africa. Of course this goes against everything held sacred by mainstream paleoanthropology but Begun presents some interesting arguments for his assertion.

He begins his article by noting that all of the earliest fossils of gorillas and chimps (our closest living relatives) are exclusively from Africa and he notes that since the days of Charles Darwin researchers have accepted the fact that early primates evolved in Africa. He further notes that this assumption was seemingly confirmed about 50 years after Darwin with the earliest fossils of early human ancestors being found in Africa. However, Begun then asserts that his own research into early evolution of apes ends with another conclusion! And his own ape evolution research concludes that hominins evolved NOT in Africa but in EUROPE!

In his book Begun gives evidence for reaching this conclusion by showing that a broader consideration of the fossil record of ape evolution indeed explains many of the anatomical features that make us human. For instance, Begun notes that Darwin wrote that most likely our common ancestor shared by humans and apes lived in Africa yet in the very next line Darwin (in his book “The Descent of Man”) suggests that Europe not Africa may have actually been the birthplace of hominins! Dryopithecus is and ancient fossil ape known by Darwin from France. This species had more than enough time to migrate INTO Africa from Europe and give rise to hominins there (in Africa). Continue Reading

I’ve heard many people ask this question and I think they simply don’t understand the reality of early human migrations. The reason there is scant to no evidence of the migration of our early human ancestors is because —-

They were HUNTER-GATHERER peoples who were also nomadic and such people leave little to no evidence of their migration routes.

So it’s not surprising that when we consider migrations out of Africa (or anywhere else for that matter) that we find no to little evidence of these migrations of early hominins.

So when we think of Homo erectus migrating out of Africa in to the Levant and Asia OR when we think about this early human ancestor migrating from Asia to Southeast Asia and into Australia we MUST keep in mind not only was H. erectus a hunter-gatherer but the sea levels were considerably lower than they are today. And that means that any evidence of the migrations of H. erectus or any other hominin out of ANYWHERE is likely buried under the waters of the seas.

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